274 

16 

ipy 1 



U. 



Sixty-Sixth Congress, Third Session 



House Document No. 1023 



J. WILLARD RAGSDALE 

(Late a Representative from South Carolina) 

MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 

DELIVERED IN THE 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OF THE UNITED STATES 

SIXTY-SIXTH CONGRESS 
SECOND SESSION 

January 25, 1920 



PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF 
THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING 







WASHINGTON 

1922 



274 

6 

py 1 



^-'^ii 



Sixty-Sixth Congress, Third Session 



House Document No. 1023 



J. WILLARD RAGSDALE 

( Late a Representative from South Carolina ) 

MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 

DELIVERED IN THE 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OF THE UNITED STATES 

SIXTY-SIXTH CONGRESS 
SECOND SESSION 

January 25, 1920 



PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF 
THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING 



7 ^7. ■■■■ "L-ts» '^^ ^''^■ 




WASHINGTON 
1922 







■..iii — i .mn I I ■»■« II M ipiii h t i 

UBHAKt OF CONGIKE88 
•tECCIVED 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Page 

Proceedings in the House 5 

Prayer by Rev. Henry N. Couden, D, D 6, 9 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Fred H. Dorainick, of South Carolina 13 

Mr. Edward C. Mann, of South Carolina 16 

Mr. Champ Clark, of Missouri 17 

Mr. William F. Stevenson, of South Carolina 19 

Mr. James F. Byrnes, of South Carolina 24 

Mr. Leonidas C. Dyer, of Missouri 30 

Mr. Philip H. Stoll, of South Carolina 32 

Proceedings in the Senate 35 



[3] 




HON. J-V/ILLARD RAGSDALE 



DEATH OF HON. J. WILLARD RAGSDALE 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE 



Wednesday, July 23, 1919. 
Mr. Byrnes of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I desire to 
offer the following resolution. 
The Clerk read as follows : 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of 
the death of Hon. J. Willard Ragsdale, a Representative from the 
State of South Carolina. 

Resolved, That a committee of 15 Members of tlie House, with 
such Members of the Senate as may be joined, be appointed to 
attend the funeral. 

Resolved, That the Sergeant at Arms of the House be authorized 
and directed to take such steps as may be necessary to carry 
out the provisions of these resolutions, and that the necessary 
expenses in connection thereof be paid out of the contingent 
fund of the House. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

The resolutions were agreed to. 

The Clerk read the following further resolution : 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect this House do now 
adjourn. 

The resolution was agreed to. 

Accordingly (at 3 o'clock and 17 minutes p. ui.) the 
House adjourned until to-morrow, Thursday, July 24, 
1919, at 12 o'clock noon. 



[5] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Ragsdale 

Thursday, July 24, i919. 
The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered 
the following prayer: 

We lift up our hearts in gratitude to Thee our Father in 
Heaven for thai suhtle and mysterious quality Thou hast 
woven into the soul of man we call love, which in times 
of great crises lifts man out of himself and makes him a 
hero. 

When the Government and its sacred principles are 
threatened by an insidious foe it makes him a patriot. 

It forms the home and makes it the dearest spot on 
earth. Through it friendships are formed which never 
die — hence the congressional family has been stirred to 
its depths by the passing away of one of its Members. 

It is the foundation of the immortality of the soul which 
brings comfort and solace to those who are stirred by 
the passing of a loved one. So we look up to Thee v^^ith 
faith and confidence in this hour of sorrow. Be with the 
friends of the deceased. Comfort the stricken widow and 
children with the blessed hope that sometime, somewhere, 
they shall feel the touch of his hand, hear his voice, and 
rejoice in his presence. 

Hear us, we pray Thee, and so comfort and guide us 
on our way to the blessed reunion with our friends and 
loved ones; and all glory and praise shall be Thine 
through Him who died and lives, thus proving that life 
is stronger than death. Amen. 

A message from the Senate, by Mr. Dudley, one of its 
clerks, announced that the Senate had passed the follow- 
ing resolutions: 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep sensibility the 
announcement of the death of Hon. J. Willard Ragsdale, Jate a 
Representative from the State of South Carolina. 



[6] 



Proceedings in the House 



Resolved, That a committee of 10 Senators be appointed by the 
Vice President to join a committee appointed on the part of the 
House of Representatives to take order for superintending the 
funeral of the deceased. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these reso- 
lutions to the House of Representatives. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of 
the deceased the Senate do now adjourn. 

The Speaker appointed the following committee to 
attend the funeral of the late Representative Ragsdale : 

Mr. Lever, Mr. Byrnes of South Carolina, Mr. Whaley, 
Mr. Nicholls of South Carolina, Mr. Stevenson, Mr. Clark 
of Missouri, Mr. Flood, Mr. McKeown, Mr. Robinson of 
North Carolina, Mr. Phelan, Mr. Rogers, Mr. Focht, Mr. 
Longworth, and Mr. Browne. 

Thursday, September 4, 1919. 

Mr. Igoe. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to ex- 
tend my remarks in the Record by printing some resolu- 
tions sent to me on the death of the late Representative 
Ragsdale, of South Carolina. 

The Speaker. The gentleman from Missouri asks unani- 
mous consent to insert in the Record some resolutions 
concerning the death of the late Representative Ragsdale, 
of South Carolina. Is there objection? 

There was no objection. 

Following are the resolutions referred to : 

St. Louis, Mo., July 29, 1919. 
Hon. William L. Igoe, 

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. 
My Dear Congressman: On the motion of Dr. Emmett Kane, I 
was instructed to forward you inclosed resolution of sympathy, 



[7] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Ragsdale 

with the request that you have it printed in the Congressional 
Record. 

Thanking you for your attention in this matter, I am 
Yours, very truly, 

C. J. DOLAN, 
Chairman of Resolutions Committee. 

Whereas the Friends of Irish Freedom of St. Louis have learned 
with profound sorrow of the untimely demise of Congressman 
J. W. Ragsdale, of South Carolina; and 

Whereas they are mindful of his sincere sympathy for the cause 
of Irish freedom, which he manifested in so unmistakable a 
manner during the hearings on the Irish question before the 
Foreign Relations Committee of the House; and 

Whereas he was at all times a stanch champion of the right of 
free government: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the Friends of Irish Freedom of St. Louis tender 
to the colleagues of the deceased Congressman their sincere sym- 
pathy; and be it further 

Resolved, That copies of this resolution be sent to the Speaker 
of the House of Representatives and to Congressman Henry D. 
Flood, of Virginia. 

Friday, December 19, 1919. 

Mr. Byrnes of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, 1 ask unan- 
imous consent that the House hold a session on Sunday, 
January 25, 1920, for the purpose of enabling the Mem- 
bers to pay tribute to the memory of the late J. Willard 
Ragsdale, of the fifth district of South Carolina. 

The Speaker. The gentleman from South Carolina asks 
unanimous consent that the House hold a session on 
January 25, 1920, in memory of the late Mr. Ragsdale, of 
the fifth district of South Carolina. Is there objection? 

There was no objection. 



[8] 



Proceedings in the House 



Sunday, January 25, 1920. 
The House met at 12 o'clock noon. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the 
following prayer : 

Father in Heaven, look down from Thy throne of grace 
with kindly eyes and an approving heart upon us as we 
thus assemble wdthin this historic Chamber to pay a 
tribute of love and respect to two men who bj^ dint of 
their own efforts, inspired of Thee, left a deep impression 
upon the hearts of their countrymen and writ in charac- 
ters of gold a history upon their State and Nation. Long 
may their memories live in our hearts and on the pages of 
history, that they may be an ensample to us and lo those 
who shall come after us; and we will ascribe all praise 
to Thee. 

Comfort us, their colleagues and friends, their stricken 
families, with the truth that life is immortal, and some 
day, somewhere, we and they shall meet again in a realm 
where love ties shall never again be severed. 

When the mists have rolled in splendor 

From the beauty of the hills, 
And the sunshine warm and tender 

Falls in kisses on the rills; 
We may read love's shining letter 

In the rainbow of the spray; 
We shall know each other better 

When the mists have cleared away. 
We shall know as we are known, 

Never more to walk alone 
In the dawning of the morning, 

When the mists have cleared away. 
Amen. 



[9] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Ragsdale 

The Speaker. The Clerk will report the first special 
order of the day. 
The Clerk read as follows: 

On motion of Mr. Byrnes of South Carolina, by unanimous 
consent, 

Ordered, That there shall be a session of the House on Sunday, 
January 25, 1920, for memorial services on the life, character, and 
public services of Hon. J. Willard Ragsdale, deceased. 

The Speaker. The gentleman from South Carolina [Mr. 
Byrnes] will please take the chair. 

Mr. Byrnes of South Carolina took the chair as Speaker 
pro tempore. 

Mr. DoMiNiCK. Mr. Speaker, I offer the following reso- 
lution and move its adoption. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The gentleman from South 
Carolina offers a resolution, which the Clerk will report. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

House resolution 446 

Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended, 
that opportunity may be given for tributes to the memory of Hon. 
J. Willard Ragsdale, late a Member of this House from the State 
of South Carolina. 

Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory 
of the deceased, and in recognition of his distinguished public 
career, the House, at the conclusion of the exercises of this day, 
shall stand adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate. 

Resolved, That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to the 
family of the deceased. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The question is on the adop- 
tion of the resolution. 
The resolution was agreed to. 



[10] 



Proceedings in the House 



Mr. DoMiNiCK. Mr. Speaker, Messrs. Whaley, Nicholls 
of South Carolina, and Stoll are detained and absent on 
account of illness. I therefore ask unanimous consent 
that they, as well as any other Members who are unavoid- 
ably detained, may have leave to extend their remarks. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The gentleman from South 
Carolina asks unanimous consent that his colleagues, 
Messrs. Whaley, Nicholls of South Carolina, and Stoll, be 
granted permission to extend remarks in the Record. Is 
there objection? 

There was no objection. 



[11] 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Dominick, of South Carolina 

Mr. Speaker : From time to time we are called upon to 
pause in our work here and set aside a day to pay tribute 
and respect to a deceased colleague. It is a time-honored 
and beautiful custom and one that should be always 
observed. With each recurring service we are all re- 
minded of the uncertainty of life and the certainty of 
death. 

J. WiLLARD Ragsdale, of Florence, S. C, was serving 
his fourth term in Congress as the Representative from 
the sixth South Carolina district when he died in Wash- 
ington on the 23d day of July, 1919. From his early man- 
hood he always took a lively and active interest in pub- 
lic and political affairs, and soon after his admission to the 
bar of South Carolina, in 1898, he started his political 
career. He represented his county as State senator, and 
he soon gained a state-wide reputation by his work there. 
He was many times a delegate from his county to the State 
conventions, and one of the most dramatic incidents of his 
political career occurred at the South Carolina State con- 
vention of 1912, when the question of the indorsement of 
a candidate for President and instructing the delegates to 
the national convention came up. At that convention a 
resolution was offered instructing the delegates to the 
national convention to vote for Gov. W^oodrow Wilson as 
the candidate for President. 

Immediately a resolution was offered against instruct- 
ing for any candidate and there was a bitter fight. Before 

[13] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Ragsdale 

either of these resolutions could come to a vote a sub- 
stitute was offered for instruction and this substitute was 
defeated by a vote of 218 to 122. The resolution against 
instructing for any candidate was then adopted by a vote 
of 178 to 162. Notwithstanding this action on the part of 
the convention, Willard Ragsdale obtained the floor and, 
after an eloquent and ringing speech pleading that some 
affirmative action be taken expressing the choice of the 
convention for a presidential candidate, he presented an- 
other resolution indorsing the candidacy of Woodrow 
Wilson for the Democratic nomination and instructing 
the delegates to vote for him as a unit. The convention 
was held spellbound by the eloquent and forceful pre- 
sentation of his views and the effect of his speech was 
electrical; but the resolution was ruled out on a point of 
order and then, in the language of a newspaper report of 
the convention, " pandemonium reigned for a few min- 
utes." Ragsdale, with his energy and aggressiveness and 
stick-to-itiveness would not give up his fight, but, seeing 
his opportunity, at once offered another resolution in- 
dorsing Gov. Wilson without instructions, shouting at the 
time, "They can't quibble over that." This resolution 
was carried and Ragsdale had won his fight for Wilson — a 
fight that is memorable to those who were present at that 
convention. 

He was elected to Congress in 1912 and served his peo- 
ple faithfully and well, and especially during the burden- 
some days of the Great War. So well did he serve them 
during those trying times that he was renominated and re- 
elected without any opposition whatsoever. While he 
was a party man, he was not a partisan. He always wanted 
to be in accord with his party and party associates and 
vote with them, but at the same time, if his judgment was 



[14] 



Address of Mr, Dominick, of South Carolina 



otherwise, he was independent enough and man enough 
to vote his own honest convictions, even if that vote was 
not in accord with his party associates. He was an able 
lawyer, a successful business man, a fearless fighter, big- 
hearted, whole-souled, sociable, companionable, and he 
would do anything in his power for his friends. The high 
esteem and affectionate regard in which he was held by 
his people could not have been better shown than upon 
the day of his funeral, when all business was suspended 
and a great throng congregated at the overflowing church 
and crowded cemetery to pay a last tribute of respect and 
to do honor to their able and distinguished citizen and 
their friend. 



15] 



Address of Mr, Mann, of South Carolina 

Mr. Speaker : It is with a feeling of regret, and also of 
pleasure, that I stand before you this morning and in my 
feeble way say a few words in memory of our friend 
whom the grim reaper cut down in the very prime of 
his life. I regret that it was not my honor to serve in 
your distinguished body with the late J. Willard Rags- 
dale, but it was my pleasure to know him, and to know 
him well and intimately from the days of my boyhood 
to the day of his death, and it was my privilege to know 
that at all times he was my friend. 

Mr. Ragsdale was a man of great capacity, wonderful 
ability, indomitable energy and courage, and honorable 
ambition. He was close to the people, served well and 
faithfully his county, his district, his State, and his coun- 
try while here as their Representative in Congress. I do 
not attribute greatness to our departed friend, but useful- 
ness and a common importance belonging to a useful 
life. He was one of the biggest-hearted men that I have 
ever known, and his kind deeds were manifold. It did 
not matter who it was that solicited his aid; it was always 
given and given gladly and freely. Many a young man in 
South Carolina who stands to-day as a living monument 
to his memory owes his start in life to the benefactions 
of J. Willard Ragsdale, making true the old Latin 
proverb, " Vs^ho doeth a kindness to a good man doeth a 
greater to himself." I might go on and extol his virtues, 
but lack of time will not permit. I have said that he was 
honest, faithful, brave, warm-hearted, true, and ever 
ready to serve. What more can be said of any man? His 
life was not lived in vain. 

[16] 



Address of Mr. Clark, of Missouri 

Mr. Speaker: Death has reaped a large harvest among 
the Democrats of the House of the Sixty-sixth Congress — 
Ragsdale, of South Carolina; Burnett, of Alabama; Van 
Dyke, of Minnesota; Thompson, of Oklahoma; Watson, 
of Virginia; Helm, of Kentucky; and Sulzer, of Alaska — 
men all in their prime. 

J. Willard Ragsdale, of South Carolina, one of the 
most robust men in the House, was taken in the twinkling 
of an eye. Anyone called upon to pick a dozen Members 
destined for long life would have placed Mr. Ragsdale in 
the list. His sudden death in the very flower of his years 
teaches us once more what shadows we are and what 
shadows we pursue. He was not only robust physically 
but robust mentally. No man appeared to enjoy life 
more than Mr. Ragsdale. He was intense in everything. 
His opinions on any subject with which his exceedingly 
active mind concerned itself were positive. 

There was in him no hesitancy in taking a position and 
in maintaining it when taken. Nobody ever had to go on 
a voyage of discovery to ascertain where he stood. He 
took orders from nobody. He did his own thinking, 
spoke out in meeting, and was unafraid. He was both a 
lawyer and a business man — successful beyond the aver- 
age in two fields of human endeavor. He was a great 
practitioner of traditional southern hospitality, and per- 
haps entertained more than any other Member of the 
House. No man enjoyed more than he to have his friends 
about his board. 

I was fond of him and he was fond of me. While firm 
in his opinions, vehement in manner, bold in utterance, 

51591—22 2 [17] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Ragsdale 

he was amenable to suggestions from men he deemed his 
friends. He conferred freely and frequently with me, 
and I am certain that he received suggestions from me 
in the kindliest feeling. 

Sometimes he accepted them in whole or in part; some- 
times he rejected them in toto. In turn he made many 
suggestions to me, some important and of great value. 

He was not a frequent debater, but was always clear 
and forcible and honest in the expression of his views. 
At the time of his death he was one of the rising men in 
the House, apparently destined for a long and high career. 

I was appointed by the Speaker to attend his burial at 
Florence, S. C. It was a lovely day in early summer. 
The little city was in mourning. A large concourse of 
people, old and young, high and humble, white and black, 
attended. I have never seen more evidences of love and 
sorrow exhibited at any time or place. He seemed to be 
universally beloved. 



[18J 



Address of Mr. Stevenson, of South Carolina 

Mr. Speaker: Willard Ragsdale was my neighbor. He 
was born in the county adjoining the one in which I have 
lived all through my manhood. Subsequently the county 
in which he was born was divided, and he fell in that part 
which did not adjoin mine; but his people and the tradi- 
tions of his ancestry, a long and honorable line, have been 
wrought into the very woof of the people of my territory 
and of the district which I have the honor to represent. 
His characteristics, which have been very accurately re- 
ferred to by the speaker who preceded me [Mr. Clark of 
Missouri], were those which descended to him from the 
Virginia Cavaliers, who constituted his ancestry on both 
sides. 

The Ragsdales of the Cavaliers who settled Virginia 
came to South Carolina during the eighteenth century. 
They were always distinguished for business capacity, for 
interest in public affairs, though not often seeking public 
office; for a determination of character which had always 
made them a leading force in the community in wliich 
they lived. His mother, a member of the distinguished 
Byrd family, was of the same family as the noted Byrd 
of Virginia, the wit and poet, who died about the middle 
of the eighteenth century, who was the founder of the 
city of Richmond and the author of the " Westover " 
manuscript. They were a type of people not of the domi- 
nating and aggressive character of the Ragsdales, but 
nevertheless Virginia Cavaliers who knew how to lead and 
who did lead in all the history of the great section of the 
country in which they lived. 

[19] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Ragsdale 

It was my pleasure to know and frequently to be asso- 
ciated with Mr. Ragsdale's distinguished grandfather, who 
for 20 years was a State senator in South Carolina, and 
who, up until 1890, was possibly the most influential sena- 
tor from the Peedee section of South Carolina. From that 
side of the house Mr. Ragsdale acquired his political acu- 
men, which was so noted for the 23 years of his public life. 
I was first intimately associated with him when he came 
to the legislature, in 1898. I came to know him not only as 
a politician but as a friend whose friendship could not be 
severed except by injustice or by improper dealing with 
him. 

Politically he was one of the most aggressive men in 
South Carolina, a State in which politics is rather aggres- 
sive, but at the same time he was not only aggressive, and 
was frequently called impetuous, but he was one of the 
most alert and keen-sighted of politicians. What was fre- 
quently termed impulsiveness on his part, and was some- 
times considered imprudent impulsiveness, was not action 
without principle, without consideration. The distinguish- 
ing characteristic of Willard Ragsdale was that he could 
see and analyze a situation more quickly than ninety men 
out of a hundred and reach a conclusion, which in a large 
majority of cases would be a sound conclusion, while 
many men were still considering, but when a conclusion 
was reached there was absolutely no swerving him from 
retaining the position in which that conclusion placed 
him. Consequently he became a leader of the men of 
his generation. 

He was younger than I. I had been in the legislature 
some time when he came there, but that characteristic was 
one which always attracted him to me, and our associa- 
tions for twenty-odd years have been of the closest. I 



[20] 



Address of Mr. Stevenson, of South Carolina 

can say that as a politician he was as true to his friends in 
politics as their principles would allow him to be, and he 
never deserted a man unless he was given just cause to 
do so. 

I have come in contact with him a great deal, practicing 
for 30 years, as I have, at the same bars with him, he 
having begun, however, 10 years after I did. I learned 
to know him there; and what better place is there to find 
out whether a man is a gentleman than in the hot con- 
tests in the courthouse where great stakes are being 
fought for? He was not a plodding lawyer. His whole 
temperament was action. He could not rely upon the 
technicalities of construction. 

It was the law of common sense, upon which the com- 
mon law was based, upon which he acted, and in a ma- 
jority of instances that is the best basis upon which to 
act. While he did not deal with the technique of the 
law, he threw his personality and all of the wonderful 
magnetism of his enthusiasm into a case in a way that 
made him almost irresistible before a jury of his county, 
with whom he was always in close touch, because he was 
eminently a man of the people, and knew them, and he 
stood for their best interest as he saw it. Trained at a 
bar that was overshadowed until his advent by some of 
the most eminent lawyers in South Carolina — yea, in the 
South — he soon came to measure up with them when it 
came to the contests in court, and he has left an impress 
upon the bar and upon the legal history of the Peedee 
country of South Carolina which can not be eradicated. 
His conclusions on questions of law and justice were 
reached very quickly and were reached, apparently, fre- 
quently by inspiration, though it was not that but was a 
process of quick thinking out of a situation, and those 



21 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Ragsdale 

conclusions were in a large majority of instances justified 
by the decisions of the courts of the land. 

As a business man, in addition to his characteristics as 
a lawyer, Mr. Ragsdale became a banker of standing and 
a successful financier of the territory in which he lived. 
Coming into public life and beginning his career at a 
time when the country in which he lived was depressed 
beyond anything conceivable at this day, at a time when 
money was almost impossible of acquisition, he embarked 
upon the career of banking within a few years, with the 
desire to build up his community by furnishing the capital 
so absolutely necessary to the development of the limit- 
less resources of that country. He entered into competi- 
tion wdth other bankers who had been for a lifetime in 
the business, and he left when he died an institution that 
stands as one of the assets of the community and as one 
of the landmarks of the financial acumen of that country, 
one of the institutions which had enabled his city to 
become, as undoubtedly it is, the leading city of this 
eastern section of South Carolina. 

I want to say just one word about Mr. Ragsdale as a 
friend. Many of the Members of this House know his 
impulsive disposition, his affectionate disposition to those 
who enlisted his assistance, his demand for proper treat- 
ment by all, and yet his overflowing love for man as man 
if that man were acting as the gentleman that he was 
brought up to consider himself. He could engage in any 
kind of a bout, in any kind of a controversy. He was a 
sportsman from the heart. He inherited it from his dis- 
tinguished ancestry on both sides. He could give and 
take; but a mean thing done to him was something that 
would become ineradicable in his heart, because he 
would not tolerate a man who would do a mean thing 



[22; 



Address of Mr. Stevenson, of South Carolina 

to him or to anyone in whom he was interested. On 
the other hand, there is no man in this House or any- 
where else with whom I have come in contact whose 
affection was more persistent, whose self-sacrifice was 
more readily given, whose aid was more readily extended 
for anyone whom he could call his friend than Mr. 
Ragsdale. 

His taking away was one of the wrenches of my public 
life. I could hardly conceive that he was gone; and that 
leads me to close by saying that we are here to-day pay- 
ing a last tribute to two of our comrades who went with- 
out warning, who went in the twinkling of an eye, who 
it seems to me just simply stepped through the invisible 
barrier that stands between us and an unknown eternity, 
leaving us remembering their virtues, their powers, their 
lovable qualities, and yet separated from them by this 
invisible barrier, wholly without knowing when it may 
come our time to step through the same barrier and be 
separated from our fellows and reunited with them. 



[23] 



Address of Mr. Byrnes, of South Carolina 

Mr. Speaker: As I have listened to my friends pay 
tribute to the life and character of our deceased col- 
league and friend I have become greatly depressed. I 
recall that when I came to the House, in 1911, I found 
constituting the South Carolina delegation Messrs. Legare, 
EUerbe, Aiken, Lever, Johnson, and Finley. Of these six 
men, all young, four have passed away. Our beloved 
friend George Legare was first claimed by death. Later, 
Ellerbe, who loved Legare as few men love each other in 
this life, was called to his reward. Judge Finley, who for 
18 years had served as a Member of this House, died 
while still in service. Judge Johnson, a few years after 
he left this body, passed away. I might also say that in 
the other body Senator Tillman, only a short while ago, 
after a service long and distinguished, was claimed by 
death, and one year after his death, in July, 1919, he was 
followed by a man who always loved him and was one of 
his stanchest political supporters, J. Willard Ragsdale. 

I doubt if in the House there is another State delegation 
in which there is more geniality and more true comrade- 
ship than in the delegation from the State of South Caro- 
lina, and I say this notwithstanding the fact that I know 
how closely men are drawn together when they come 
from States far distant. It is not surprising that this 
comradeship exists, for when human beings come to know 
each other they generally come to entertain for each 
other a more genuine affection. This certainly has been 
the rule in our delegation, and therefore you can appre- 
ciate how shocked and grieved we were to learn of the 
sudden death of Willard Ragsdale. To me it was espe- 

[24] 



Address of Mr. Byrnes, of South Carolina 

cially shocking, for during the two or three days preced- 
ing his death I had spent much time with him. I knew 
that he was not a well man. He told me he was consult- 
ing a physician, but I little dreamed, and he little dreamed, 
that he was so near to death. 

I knew him, Mr. Speaker, before I came to the House, 
but I was not as intimately acquainted with him then as 
I afterwards became. I knew, however, that he was what 
we generally call a self-made man. He was born at 
Timmonsville, Florence County, S. C. After attending 
the schools of the little city of Timmonsville and the 
school at Darlington, where he resided for a short time, 
he went to Wilmington, N. C, where he spent a few years, 
and his first employment in life was there with the Atlan- 
tic Coast Line Railroad. Leaving there, he returned to 
South Carolina, attended the university of our State, 
studying law under Pope, whose reputation as an edu- 
cator extended beyond the borders of South Carolina. 
Admitted to the bar, his success as a young lawyer was 
phenomenal. Those of us who knew him can understand 
it. Ragsdale was a great jury lawyer. He quickly be- 
came recognized as one of the best criminal lawyers in 
the eastern part of the State, and there was hardly a case 
of any importance in which he was not employed either 
as counsel for the defendant or assisting the solicitor in 
the prosecution. In addressing a jury he was effective, 
because Ragsdale knew men. As a master who plays 
upon the strings of a musical instrument, he could play 
upon the feelings and upon the prejudices of a jury or of 
an audience. 

He was a most effective stump speaker. As an illus- 
tration of his effectiveness as a stump speaker — I heard 
him in Philadelphia in the last national campaign. He 



[25] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Ragsdale 

told me he was going to speak at a monster meeting 
in the opera house. I went to hear him, and I found 
that I was correct in beUeving that Ragsdale knew men, 
for here, addressing men whom he had never seen before 
and with whom he had never been associated, with his 
fiery eloquence and his knowledge of human nature he 
soon had the audience applauding and yelling for him. 
I understood then as I listened to him why he was so 
successful as a stump speaker in his own district. 

Possessing this gift, and possessing, too, his unlimited 
energy and his love of excitement and adventure, it was 
only natural that he early entered politics. He was elected 
to the legislature and served two years in the house. He 
was then elected to the State senate, and after serving 
one term he became a candidate for the office of attorney 
general. In that contest he was defeated. But, though 
defeated, he won for himself throughout the entire State 
of South Carolina friends who always remembered him 
and who always admired him. Two years later he be- 
came a candidate for Congress, opposing our former 
colleague, Mr. Ellerbe. He was defeated; but in the next 
contest he was successful, and he served here for three 
terms and was serving his fourth term when claimed by 
death. 

During his final term here he was a member of the Com- 
mittee on Banking and Currency. He soon convinced me 
of his ability to accurately analyze a situation. In the 
caucus upon the Federal reserve bank bill, where a num- 
ber of us who were interested in securing the recognition 
of agricultural products as the basis for the rediscount 
privilege had been making an earnest fight for many 
days, Ragsdale, with some of his friends, immediately 
assumed what we regarded as an extreme position. 



[26] 



Address of Mr, Byrnes, of South Carolina 

Finally, after many days of debate and of contest in 
this House, when I offered to the chairman of the Com- 
mittee on Banking and Currency a compromise, which 
was agreed to by the then chairman, Mr. Glass, I went 
to my colleague, Mr. Ragsdale, asking him to agree to 
my compromise and stop the fight upon the bill. I antici- 
pated a very difficult time in persuading him; but, to my 
amazement, as soon as I presented the compromise, he 
said, " Why, I never had any idea of obtaining anything 
better, but only by assuming this attitude did I have any 
hope of securing a compromise." He had truly analyzed 
the situation and had pursued his course, regarded then 
by many as unwise, with the sole purpose of securing 
such a compromise as we did secure upon that question. 

Later he served upon the committee having jurisdiction 
of the District of Columbia affairs, and then on the Com- 
mittee on Foreign Affairs. In the House he was always 
forceful. As the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Clark] 
has said, " There was never any doubt of where Ragsdale 
stood " upon any question. He was a man of decided 
opinions, and he always expressed those opinions. He 
was fearless; he was independent. He often differed 
from his party associates here, but he always gave good 
reasons for doing so. Aggressive and forceful, it was 
remarkable that so fluent a speaker was so accurate a 
speaker. Time and again I have seen him turn in the 
manuscript of his remarks delivered upon the floor with 
the rapidity so characteristic of him without revising or 
changing a single word in the pages of manuscript. 

Mr. Speaker, those who saw Mr. Ragsdale only when 
he was engaged in some contest on this floor, and who 
regarded his manner as stormy, can have no true concep- 
tion of his kindly nature. Those of us who knew him 



[27] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Ragsdale 

intimately knew that, while he was impulsive and quick 
tempered, he was at the same time generous and forgiv- 
ing. Ragsdale was true to his friends, and it was doubt- 
less this loyalty and sincerity that won for him the friend- 
ship of men who were true to him during his entire 
political career. In his home he was a devoted husband 
and a loving father. In early life, shortly after leaving 
college, he married Miss Louise Joynes, a daughter of 
Dr. Joynes, of South Carolina University. This union was 
blessed by two children, a son, James, who is now 18 
years of age, and a daughter, Louise, now 14 years of 
age. I have never known a happier family.. His was 
possibly the most hospitable home in congressional cir- 
cles. He loved to have his friends around him, and his 
greatest pleasure was to bring happiness to them. 

Reference has been made to his success in business. 
He was successful. He organized the Farmers & Mer- 
chants Bank of Florence, which he served as president 
for many years; he operated extensive farms, and even 
during his service in Congress here he practiced law at 
home. He made money, but he believed in spending 
money. He valued it only for the happiness it could bring 
to himself, his family, and his friends. He was as chari- 
table as any other man in my acquaintance, and, as my 
colleague Mr. Mann has said, many young men in the State 
of South Carolina to-day are prospering because they were 
the beneficiaries of his unselfishness. 

No greater tribute to the life of a man can be asked than 
the love of the people among whom he lived. J. Willard 
Ragsdale possessed that love, and no better evidence of 
this could have been asked than the gathering of thou- 
sands of his friends from all over the congressional dis- 
trict to pay tribute to his memory when his funeral serv- 



[28] 



Address of Mr. Byrnes, of South Carolina 

ices were held last July. They came from all walks of 
life, and the tears in the eyes of men, as well as of women, 
gave proof of the fact that they came not out of idle 
curiosity but in order to pay tribute to a man whose mem- 
ory they loved. His body rests in the little cemetery at 
Florence, in the soil of the State he loved so well, but his 
memory rests secure in the hearts of those who knew him 
and who loved him. 



[29] 



Address of Mr. Dyer, of Missouri 

Mr. Speaker: One of the sad duties devolving upon us 
as Members of Congress is to note the deaths of those 
whom we have learned to love and to respect here as our 
colleagues. 

Our life is but a dream; 

Our time, as a stream 

Glides swiftly away, 

And the fugitive moment 

Refuses to stay. 

The arrow is flown. 
The moments are gone; 
The millennial year 
Rushes on to our view, 
And eternity is here. 

I have been particularly grieved, as I am sure the mem- 
bership generally have been, at the departure of some of 
those whom we esteemed so highly. Mr. Ragsdale had a 
strong physique, and he came here possessed of wonder- 
ful ability and of a geniality that soon won for him the 
friendship and admiration of his colleagues. I knew him 
quite well. I admired him in many respects, and when 
the sad news came of his taking off so suddenly it was to 
me a great shock, as it was to the membership of this body. 
I join with you this morning, my colleagues of the great 
State of South Carolina and those of the other great States 
of our splendid Union, in paying tribute to his worth as a 
man and as a Representative of the people. 

He was a true and genuine southerner. He believed in 
the great State that he in part represented. He believed 
also in the great Republic which he loved to serve here in 
Congress; and as we have become acquainted with men 
of that character and served here with them their taking 

[30] 



Address of Mr. Dyer, of Missouri 



off is a great and irreparable loss. The greatest benefit 
that has come to me personally as a Member of the House 
in the more than eight years I have been here has been 
the acquaintance of the men with whom I have served. 
I believe that what little good I have been able to accom- 
plish here has been achieved largely through the friend- 
ship of my associates, and I shall always esteem it a great 
honor and privilege to have served with men of the char- 
acter and worth of our late colleague, Mr. Ragsdale. 

Humbly I pay tribute to the memory of our colleague 
who has gone, and I desire to record for the benefit of 
posterity and of the loved ones left behind by this gallant 
man my appreciation of his personal worth and of the 
value of his services to his State and to the Republic. 

And when earth's last picture is painted 

And the tubes are twisted and dried; 
And the oldest colors have faded, 

And the youngest critics have died, 
"We shall rest, and faith we shall need it. 

Lie down for an aeon or two, 
'Till the Master of all good painters 

Shall set us to work anew. 

And those who were good shall be happy; 

They shall sit in a golden chair. 
They shall splash at a ten-league canvas 

With brushes of camel's hair; 
They shall have real saints to draw from — 

Magdalene, Peter, and Paul — 
They shall paint for an age at a sitting 

And never get tired at all; 

And only the Master shall praise us. 

And only the Master shall blame. 
And no one shall work for money. 

And no one shall work for fame. 
But each for the joy of the doing. 

And each in his separate star 
Shall paint the thing as he sees it, 

For the God of things as they are. 

[31] 



Address of Mr. Stoll, of South Carolina 

Mr. Speaker : In the death of Hon. J. Willard Ragsdale 
South Carolina lost a distinguished son and the Nation 
was deprived of the services of a conscientious and coura- 
geous public servant. He loved his native State de- 
votedly, v^as proud of her achievements in the past, 
worked incessantly for her development, and hoped for 
her great things in the future. Likewise he loved the 
Nation, and his earnest desire was that our Government 
should indeed be a government of the people, by the 
people, and for the people. From early manhood he was 
keenly interested in all public matters, and soon after 
being admitted to the bar he entered politics and served 
with distinguished ability his county in the State senate. 
As a lawyer he was very aggressive, and as an advocate 
in the courts of South Carolina he had few equals and 
won many verdicts by his bold and eloquent pleas to the 
jury. His activities were not confined to his law practice 
or public affairs of the State and Nation, but he was also 
a progressive and successful business man, specializing 
in banking. 

Mr. Ragsdale represented the sixth congressional dis- 
trict of South Carolina for seven years, having just begun 
the service of his fourth term when the summons came 
that called him from his earthly labors. He was very 
popular in his district, and his popularity grew with his 
service. He was an unusually forcible campaign debater, 
and those who had the temerity to oppose him for his 
seat in Congress found in him an opponent of force. 

One of Mr. Ragsdale's most marked characteristics was 
his zeal for his friends. He never turned a deaf ear to 

[32] 



Address of Mr. Stoll, of South Carolina 

those who sought his assistance, and quite frequently he 
sought them and volunteered his services. Open and 
frank in manner, big-hearted and courteous, he numbered 
his friends by the hundreds. He lived for his family, his 
friends, and his country, and when he died thousands 
mourned. 

It was my privilege and pleasure to know Mr. Ragsdale 
for about 15 years. Our relations were always pleasant 
and cordial. He was my friend, and I personally mourn 
his untimely death. His sudden and unexpected passing 
reminds us that death is but the gate between the lesser 
and greater life; that toward it all humanity travels, and 
through it we all must pass, and as we think on his life 
and character we recall the closing lines of Thanatopsis: 

So live that when thy summons comes to join 
The innumerable caravan that moves 
To that mysterious realm where each shall take 
His chamber in the silent halls of death, 
Thou go not, like the quarry slave at night, 
Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed 
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave 
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch 
About him and lies down to pleasant dreams. 

The Speaker pro tempore. In accordance with the reso- 
lution already adopted, the House stands adjourned until 
to-morrow at 12 o'clock. 

Accordingly (at 2 o'clock and 50 minutes p. m.) the 
House adjourned until Monday, January 26, 1920, at 12 
o'clock noon. 



51591—22 3 [33] 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE 



Wednesday, July 23, 1919. 

A message from the House of Representatives, by D. K. 
Hempstead, its enrolling clerk, communicated to the Sen- 
ate the intelligence of the death of Hon. J. Willard Rags- 
dale, late a Representative from the State of South Caro- 
lina, and transmitted resolutions of the House thereon. 

The Vice President. The Chair lays before the Senate 
resolutions of the House of Representatives, which will 
be read. 

The Secretary read as follows : 

In the House of Representatives, 

July 23, 1919. 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of 
the death of Hon. J. Willard Ragsdale, a Representative from the 
State of South Carolina. 

Resolved, That a committee of 15 Members of the House, witli 
such Members of the Senate as may be joined, be appointed to 
attend the funeral. 

Resolved, That the Sergeant at Arms of the House be authorized 
and directed to take such steps as may be necessary for carrying 
out the provisions of these resolutions, and that the necessary 
expenses in connection therewith be paid out of the contingent 
fund of the House. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

Resolved, That, as a further mark of respect, this House do now 
adjourn. 

Mr. Smith of South Carolina. Mr. President, I ask for 
the immediate consideration of the resolutions which I 
send to the desk. I should like to state before the reading 
of the resolutions that at the proper time I shall have 

[35] 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



014 496 269 2 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Ragsdale 

something further to say in reference to the death of my 
friend Mr. Ragsdale. We were all shocked to hear of his 
sudden and untimely death at noon to-day. 1 ask unani- 
mous consent for the immediate consideration of the 
resolution. 

The resolutions (S. Res. 131) were read, considered 
by unanimous consent, and unanimously agreed to, as 
follows : 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep sensibility the 
announcement of the death of Hon. J. Willard Ragsdale, late a 
Representative from the State of South Carolina. 

Resolved, That a committee of 10 Senators be appointed by the 
Vice President to join a committee appointed on the part of the 
House of Representatives to take order for superintending the 
funeral of the deceased. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these reso- 
lutions to the House of Representatives. 

The Vice President. The Chair appoints the senior Sena- 
tor from South Carolina [Mr. Smith], the Senator from 
Arizona [Mr. Ashurst], the Senator from Kentucky, [Mr. 
Reckham], the Senator from Mississippi [Mr. Harrison], 
the Senator from Maine [Mr. Fernald], the Senator from 
Oregon [Mr. McNary], the Senator from Missouri [Mr. 
Spencer], the Senator from West Virginia [Mr. Suther- 
land], the Senator from South Dakota [Mr. Sterling], and 
the junior Senator from South Carolina [Mr. Dial] as the 
committee on the part of the Senate to attend the funeral. 

Mr. Smith of South Carolina. Mr. President, as a fur- 
ther mark of respect to the memory of the deceased Repre- 
sentative, I move that the Senate do now adjourn. 

The motion was unanimously agreed to; and (at 5 
o'clock and 10 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until 
to-morrow, Thursday, July 24, 1919, at 12 o'clock meridian. 



[36] 



p 




■ '^6' 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



014 496 269 2 



Memorial Addresses: Representatixte Ragsdale 

something further to say in reference to the death of my 
friend Mr. Ragsdale. We were all shocked to hear of his 
sudden and untimely death at noon to-day. I ask unani- 
mous consent for the immediate consideration of the 
resolution. 

The resolutions (S. Res. 131) were read, considered 
by unanimous consent, and unanimously agreed to, as 
follows : 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep sensibility the 
announcement of the death of Hon. J. Willard Ragsdale, late a 
Representative from the State of South Carolina. 

Resolved, That a committee of 10 Senators be appointed by the 
Vice President to join a committee appointed on tlie part of the 
House of Representatives to talve order for superintending the 
funeral of the deceased. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these reso- 
lutions to the House of Representatives. 

The Vice President. The Chair appoints the senior Sena- 
tor from South Carolina [Mr. Smith], the Senator from 
Arizona [Mr. Ashurst], the Senator from Kentucky, [Mr. 
Beckham], the Senator from Mississippi [Mr. Harrison], 
the Senator from Maine [Mr. Fernald], the Senator from 
Oregon [Mr. McNary], the Senator from Missouri [Mr. 
Spencer], the Senator from West Virginia [Mr. Suther- 
land], the Senator from South Dakota [Mr. Sterling], and 
the junior Senator from South Carolina [Mr. Dial] as the 
committee on the part of the Senate to attend the funeral. 

Mr. Smith of South Carolina. Mr. President, as a fur- 
ther mark of respect to the memory of the deceased Repre- 
sentative, I move that the Senate do now adjourn. 

The motion was unanimously agreed to; and (at 5 
o'clock and 10 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until 
to-morrow, Thursday, July 24, 1919, at 12 o'clock meridian. 



36] 



